


Greener

by Bethynyc



Category: Dragonriders of Pern
Genre: Community: lgbtfest, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-27
Updated: 2010-01-27
Packaged: 2017-10-06 18:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bethynyc/pseuds/Bethynyc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Staven runs away from bullies, but when a dragonrider rescues him, everything changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Greener

_**Dragonriders of Pern: "Greener"**_  
**Title:** Greener  
**Author:** [](http://bethynyc.livejournal.com/profile)[**bethynyc**](http://bethynyc.livejournal.com/)  
**Fandom:** Dragonriders of Pern  
**Pairing/characters:** All original characters, set in the first decade of the Fourth Pass.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pern, Anne McCaffrey and Del Rey (among other corporate entities) do, I'm just playing in the sandbox. Written for fun, not for profit.  
**Prompt:** #549 Dragonriders of Pern, any characters, Being a boy who was attracted to other boys in the Hold or Crafthall was hard. Being a green rider whose dragon loves you for who you are is wonderful.   
**Summary:** Staven runs away from bullies, but when a dragonrider rescues him, everything changes.   
**Warnings: (if any**) Bullying, epithets.  
**Author's Notes:**Many thanks to [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=malindalarose)[**malindalarose**](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=malindalarose) for her speedy and insightful beta work. 4000+ words. Written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/lgbtfest/profile)[**lgbtfest**](http://community.livejournal.com/lgbtfest/)

 

Toris Hold, Telgar

"Greener! Greener!" A stone flew in Staven's direction. He managed to duck it, curling over the young canine that whimpered in his arms. More stones came, then kicks and blows as the gang of older boys at Toris Hold took out their anger on him. One booted foot hit his wrist, and he gasped at the sudden pain and crunch of bones.

"Hey! What's going on here!" Collum, the runner-master, came around the barn to see what was causing the noise.

Brom, the nastiest of the group, sneered at Staven. "Lazy slump..."

Collum cuffed the back of his head. "Get back to work then, all of ya! I'll deal with Staven!" Grumbling, the gang left, and Collum waited, hands on hips, until they were gone. "Staven. What really happened?"

Mutely, Staven held out the black puppy with one hand. It was trembling, and had burn marks on its hindquarters. He managed to hide his other hand against the puppy's flank, but it was a near thing.

"They did this?" Collum's voice was cold.

Staven nodded.

"Go on back to Lara, then, lad. She'll fix you both up." Collum looked at Staven and shook his head. "Lad, you got to be hard here! There won't always be someone to stop 'em."

Staven nodded again, and trotted off to the kitchen.

Lara was kneading bread when he came in, and didn't notice them until the puppy whimpered in pain. Her greying brown hair, caught in a long braid, swooped over her shoulder. "What's this, then, Staven?" Her sharp blue eyes took in the entire scene in an instant—the puppy in pain, the boy bruised and dirty, holding his hand at an awkward angle. "Not again! That's the third time this season! Oh, Staven, when are you going to learn?" She washed her hands of dough and flour, and found clean bandages. "Now, give me your hand."

"The puppy first." His jaw set, stubbornly, and Lara notice that his once round face had lengthened, changed to more adult planes. The boy was growing up, and something would have to be done.

"All right, then." Lara took the smooth-furred puppy and examined the trembling creature carefully. Still frightened from its ordeal, it squirmed and whined. "They burned him?"

Staven nodded. "Probably with pokers from the blacksmith. He's here for the spring shoeing." He shifted uncomfortably. Lara concentrated on cleaning the burns, then rubbing a healing salve and numbweed on the puppy, who slowly calmed, and even licked her hand a couple of times. "We'll get a box for him next to the stove. Now, your turn. And tell me what happened."

"Was watching that smith shoe one of the runnerbeasts. She's a bit nervous, so Collum had me hold her head. When he was done, I took her back to her stall." Staven swallowed. "I heard them, over by where the whelping box was. The dam was guarding most of them, but this little one had wandered off. They heard him, and..." Lara took his wrist, and he winced at the touch. "I grabbed him, ran away. They followed me, and before I could get someplace safe, they..."

Lara was as gentle as possible, but the pain in his wrist made Staven gasp. "I'll send for the healer. It's broken, and I haven't the skill to set it properly. Just you sit here, and drink this."

She gave him some juice, and watched him relax, holding the sleeping puppy with one hand. "I don't know what we're to do with you, boy. I just don't know."

~*~*~*~

Staven drowsed, listening to Lara call for a runner to fetch the Hold healer, and telling Collum what happened. He could hear the exasperation in her voice as she complained. "He's still too soft, too much Selia's child. He's getting too old to hide behind my skirts, and what can we do when the other boys torment him so?"

Collum's gravelly voice rumbled in the next room. "We could foster him out, prentice him to someone. The smith?"

Lara's reply shocked Staven. "We should find his father. Selia never said who he was, but she was at the Weyr. Searched, and not accepted. She stayed for a while, but came back pregnant. For all she was my own baby sister, I couldn't tell you why she left, or came back. She only lived long enough to name the boy, and there I was with a newborn and all the kitchen work!" Collum murmured something, but Staven didn't hear. His own thoughts were in turmoil, thinking about his lost mother, and the hold that had never felt like a home.

_So that's it,_ he thought. _I don't really belong here, and they don't really want me. Even Lara, even Collum don't want me._

"Ah, there you are, Healer Joris. He's in here."

The healer bustled in, all red-faced and cheerful. "Came as quickly as I could. A break is quite serious at this age—bones knit quickly. Awake, are you boy?" The healer set Lara to boiling cloths and plaster, and gave him a stiff dose of fellis mixed with juice. "If you're asleep when I set it, it won't hurt as much!" He smiled. "Good thing this happened before Fall rather than after. There's a dragonrider at the hold, checking on our ground crews." That was the last thing Staven remembered before falling into a deep sleep.

Late that night, he woke to find himself on the pallet in the store room, not in the cothold with the other stableboys. The puppy slept next to him, making little whimpering noises. Restlessly, he scratched at the cast on his arm, wishing that the itching on his wrist would go away.

~*~*~*~

The next morning, he heard Collum talking to Lara again. "I had the healer ask the rider to bring a message to the Weyr. If they can, they'll find the boy's father."

"Then what?" Lara sounded scared.

"Then it's up to them. The father has the right to know about his son, and decide what to do."

_Greener_. The word slid through his mind. Staven didn't really know what it meant, except it had something to do with green dragonriders. Men who were used as women by other men. Was that what was in store for him? Did dragonriders use boys in that way? The way his mother had been used? Staven's overactive imagination created a scary scenario for his mother, and again for himself, worse than what had happened so far in his life.

He couldn't let them do it. He had to get away.

~*~*~*~

While his arm was still in the cast, Staven was given light work to do around the stables. Mostly low-level grooming, though he could, and did, lead some of the gentler runners to the paddock for exercise on Threadfree days. He loved watching the runners canter around the paddock and occasionally roll in the dust. He watched them carefully, ready to let Collum know if any of them picked up stones or seemed lame in any way.

He was halfway through his recovery, watching two of the breeding mares stretch their legs in the paddock when he was suddenly seized from behind and pushed up against the fence. Brom and two of the other stableboys had him.

"_Greener_," Brom hissed at him. "You think we'd let you get away with it?"

Staven's throat tightened in fear. "Wh-what?"

Rogen, the largest of the three, growled "Collum put us on grunt jobs 'cause of you."

Brom pulled Staven's head back by the hair. "Once that cast comes off, you're gonna wish it hadn't!" he threatened. "And if you say one word, that mangy canine of yours gets fed to a tunnel snake."  
With one last push against the fence, the three stalked away.

Staven knew he had to run away, as soon as he could.

Not long after that, Healer Joris came by to check on him. Staven was healed, but needed to be careful of his wrist for three more sevendays, Staven knew that now was his only chance to get away. He had a good sevenday before the next Threadfall, and that would give him enough time to get away with the black puppy, now named Chaser, and find a new situation. He hoped to catch up to the blacksmith, ask for a prenticeship, and thus make his own way.

He didn't want anyone to call him '_greener_' ever again.

~*~*~*~

Lara knocked on the storeroom door before opening it. She glanced around the room, frowning. "That's odd," she muttered. The tall and surprisingly young man in wherhide leathers leaned in behind her, looking around curiously. His gray eyes seemed to take everything in—eyes too old for such a young face.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, sir, Staven isn't here. He must have gone to the stables." She went to the cot and looked underneath it. "Chaser..." she whispered, "He always leaves Chaser here, and now..." Lara shook her head. "They're probably out in the fields."

The man gave her an inquiring look. "I thought you said he was injured, Headwoman."

"He was! Is, the cast came off yesterday. He was doing light work in the stables with Collum up through yesterday, but I'm surprised he was sent out to the fields so quickly." Lara led the dragonrider out of the main hold to the stables, glancing up at the blue dragon perched on the ridge nearby. "He must have been up very early—usually I give him some breakfast before he goes out to help the stablemaster." She spotted Collum across the yard, but before she could say anything, he called out to her.

"Lara! Did you need Staven for something today?" he called.

The headwoman stopped short, causing the dragonrider to nearly run her over. "What do you mean? He's not with you, or in the fields?"

"No, I haven't seen him at all today." Collum thought for a minute. "You don't think..."

Lara groaned. "The stupid boy! The canine is gone, he's not in any of the usual places, that means he's run off!"

"Why would he do that?" asked the dragonrider. "This was his home, after all."

Collum and Lara exchanged glances. "He wasn't all that happy here. He liked his work well enough—very good with the runners and canines," admitted Collum. "The other boys got a bit harsh sometimes."

"Harsh!" Lara exploded bitterly. "Plain cruelty I'd call it! Tormenting animals in front of him, then beating him when he tried to stop them! That Brom doesn't deserve his place here!"

The dragonrider broke into her tirade. "Could he have gotten far?"

Collum thought for a minute. "Depends on which way he went, if he went into the mountains or down towards Telgar hold."

"The traveling smith was kind to him," offered Lara. "Staven might ask him for a prenticeship."

With a nod of acknowledgment, the rider stepped away from the pair. "I'll seek him out on Hemleth here. We should be able to track him down." The rider vaulted onto the blue dragon that had just backwinged into the yard, and took off again in a matter of moments.

~*~*~*~

J'rod and Hemleth spiraled up and out of the hold, looking for signs of a teenage boy and his canine on the road. The dragon's eyes were sharp, and he had an instinct for finding lost holders and animals that surprised even the Weyrleader. _So this might be T'ven's boy..._ he thought, with a twist in his gut for the rider who taught him how to care for Hemleth, lost in a stupid training exercise before the Pass even started. He remembered Selia, a quiet girl who was Searched for the junior Queen egg, but not chosen. She'd seemed happy in the Weyr, at least until T'ven died, then disappeared. It went that way, sometimes, with Holdbred candidates.

"See anything yet, Hemleth?"

_Not yet. But he can't have gone far on foot_, responded the blue dragon.

"The stablemaster said that the smith generally goes south from here, to the other two mountain holds. The boy probably hopes to catch up with him by then."

_Then south and west._ Hemleth sideslipped on a thermal and turned in that direction.

A thought occurred to J'rod. "Could he hole up in a cave or crevice or something? Since he's running away."

The blue dragon considered the idea. _Perhaps. But the canine may not stay._ Gliding in a spiral, Hemleth twisted his head one way and another. _I think...there!_ He folded his wings and stooped at an acute angle. J'rod gripped the fighting straps tightly and hoped they wouldn't scare the boy.

_We won't_. Hemleth landed neatly in a clearing. _The boy is to the west, along the game trail. He is very frightened! Be wary, J'rod._

"I will," muttered the dragonrider. He clambered up the rocky slope to the west. Soon, he heard a canine yipping frantically, and as he rounded a huge boulder, he saw them.

The boy was holding the young canine by the collar, and fending off a huge feral canine with a tree branch. The wild one snapped and made short charges at the youngster, testing his defenses. J'rod pulled his belt knife, and mentally summoned Hemleth.

The creature was huge, with thick gray and black fur, a long muzzle filled with very sharp teeth, and absolutely no fear of humans. J'rod crouched in a fighting stance and whistled, distracting it from the boy. It turned and growled once before leaping for his throat.

_J'rod_! Hemleth shrieked in his mind, but the rider managed to get his arm up between himself and the slavering beast. It knocked him over bit down on his arm. J'rod roared in pain and dropped the knife. There was a rush of freezing air as Hemleth popped out from _between_ above him, bugling a challenge. He couldn't see anything but the maddened eyes of the canine before a sudden crack of wood hitting beast echoed through the clearing. Then the weight was lifted off of him, and J'rod saw Hemleth with the canine in his jaws shaking it angrily, eyes whirling red. Finally, Hemleth threw the canine into a boulder, and it didn't move.

J'rod turned to the boy. "My thanks, young man." Then he blinked. The boy looked like a younger, unfinished version of T'ven, down to the curling black hair and wide brown eyes. "What's your name?" He tried to put a kindly tone into his voice, but his arm hurt terribly, and he could see blood seeping through the wherhide.

"Staven." The boy's eyes widened as Hemleth snaked his way down into the clearing and curled himself around J'rod, eyes whirling yellow with worry.

_You hurt. We should go back to the Weyr._ Hemleth said, and J'rod noticed the boy startle and look around.

Perhaps this boy didn't only look like his father, but had some of his talents as well. "Did you hear him, Staven?" At the uncertain nod, J'rod continued. "That's very rare. Sometimes dragons will talk to other humans, but not every human can hear them. My name is J'rod, by the way, and this is Hemleth."

Staven awkwardly bowed, and called his canine to him. "And this is Chaser. He wanted to fight, but..."

"That creature would have eaten him in two bites." J'rod struggled to his feet holding his arm at an awkward angle. "Well, my Wingleader will have a lecture for me. Would you come, and help me explain?"

The boy stiffened and his hand clutched at the young canine.

Hemleth's softly spoke. _He is afraid of us. I don't know why. But he is afraid_. By his tone, J'rod knew the dragon was speaking only to him.

J'rod stroked his dragon's neck. "At the very least, come and have some food. I owe you that, for saving my life."

Staven frowned. "But...the dragon...he killed it!"

"But you got it off me. I don't think Hemleth could have gotten close enough if you hadn't hit it with your stick, there." He smiled, trying to get the boy to relax. "Our Headwoman makes a wonderful stew, and there will be plenty for Chaser as well."

The youngster glanced sideways. "I don't...want to go back. To Toris."

J'rod shrugged. "Lara said you've fourteen turns?" At Staven's nod, he continued, "Well, that's old enough to decide your own fate," With that, he swung awkwardly up onto Hemleth and extended his unhurt arm. "Unless you'd like to stay here and see if that wild canine has a mate...or a pack."

The boy scrambled up behind him, holding Chaser tightly, as Hemleth leaped into the air and went _between_.

The Weyr was bustling with activity when they arrived, and J'rod spotted his Wingleader trotting towards him. "Where have you been? The Hatching's about to start!"

"Already? Was I out longer than I thought?"

The older man shook his head. "They're early. But there's still time for you and your guest to get cleaned up and eat something."

J'rod grinned and gave Staven a light slap on the back. "Come on, let's get to the kitchens before all the food's gone.

~*~*~*~

Staven tucked Chaser into his carisak and followed the dragonrider into the depths of the Weyr as the blue dragon lifted off from the crowded courtyard. The atmosphere was like that of a Gather; everyone grinning and full of anticipation.

It wasn't like the stories at all. No barely dressed slaves. No half-eaten holders. Just people and dragons, all excited about the hatching and busy with the duties of running a Weyr. Other than the dragons, it wasn't that much different from the Hold.

_I told you,_ whispered the voice in the back of his head. _You have nothing to fear._

He shook his head briefly and stuck closer to J'rod. The tunnels twisted and turned deeper into the lower caverns, and Staven was completely confused. Finally, they stepped into a room with the longest table Staven had ever seen, surrounded by organized chaos. A tall woman with thick black hair braided into a crown around her head stared at both of them before calling out "J'rod! Just in time! You and your friend sit here and eat up before you go out to the hatching ground." She settled them both down with bowls of stew and freshly baked bread that was both light and chewy at the same time.

Chaser poked his nose out of the carisak, and the woman laughed. "And who might this stowaway be?"

Staven swallowed. "Chaser, lady. And I'm Staven."

Her whole fast softened at the sound of his name. "I'm Tolana, the headwoman of the Weyr. Your mother—Selia of Toris Hold?"

Staven nodded, unsure how to respond.

The woman nodded. "Eat up, now. I knew your mother when she was here. I'll send for some scraps for young Chaser here—just keep him out of the way! And, you, J'rod, I'll call for the healer to check those bites." She strode off, scattering helpers in her wake.

Staven fed Chaser some of the bread to keep him still. "J'rod? Did-did you know my parents?" He glanced sideways at the older man.

The dragonrider took a deep breath. "Yes. Your father was a rider, and Weyrling master of this Weyr. He taught the young ones. Taught me. Your mother was Searched for Marlith, the junior Queen here, but not chosen."

"How did...were they happy?"

J'rod smiled, a little sadly. "They were. That was when I Impressed Hemleth, and T'ven was my teacher. For three months after the Hatching, Selia and T'ven were mated, and happy. Then...there was an accident. T'ven and Conreth...went _between_. Didn't come back. Three days later, Selia left. Said there were too many sad memories here."

Staven caressed the puppy's ears, lost in thought. "She went back to Toris, and had me, and died." He swallowed down past the thickening in his throat. "I wish I'd known them."

J'rod put his hand on Staven's shoulder. "You look very like him. Your father." He slapped gently, twice. "Here come scraps for Chaser and the healer for me. We should find a quiet place for him during the Hatching."

Staven nodded again, staring down at Chaser as he happily gobbled his meal. His parents had been happy together. His mother hadn't escaped a terrible fate. Perhaps the dragonriders weren't so bad after all, despite the horror stories.

He glanced over to see J'rod wincing as the healer cleaned the bite wounds and wrapped them up, sternly warning the dragonrider to call him if he felt feverish or had any swelling. Staven smiled at the woman's tone—so like Lara. He missed Lara, but felt somehow comfortable here, as if he belonged already.

Perhaps they had a smith here he could prentice to.

~*~*~*~

They found a quiet nook and some bones for Chaser, and went to the Hatching ground. J'rod had to ferry guests, so Staven settled in to watch. The huge golden queen dragon hovered over her eggs as they twitched and began to rock. The other dragons perched around the edge of the ground, caroling in greeting. The seats filled up quickly, and J'rod returned to sit next to him just as the white-clad candidates filed in.

Soon several of the eggs were rocking hard, and finally one split down the middle, revealing a brown dragonet who glanced around once and hopped right over to one candidate. The boy's face lit up with joy, exclaiming "He says his name is Delanth!"

Dragonets and boys paired up quickly—though there were a few tense moments when boys were scratched if they didn't move quickly enough for the dragon to get to their chosen rider. Soon, most of the pairs were being escorted by older riders out for their first meal—except for one.

A dainty green dragon, smaller than the rest, mewled pitifully, pushing boy after boy out of the way. She wandered back and forth, crying, which set all the other dragons off in a sorrowful chorus. Staven leaned over to J'rod. "What's wrong?"

"She wants someone who isn't a candidate. It's very rare—if she can't find the one she wants, she'll die."

_Where are you? Where, oh where are you? Please find me, I'm so hungry, I need you!_ Staven shook his head. That didn't sound like Hemleth!

"Staven? Staven! What's wrong?"

"I hear someone—in my head! They're crying, looking for someone!" Staven felt dizzy, and a frightening hunger gnawed at his belly.

J'rod looked at him in astonishment. Staven got to his feet. "I-I have to go." Stumbling, almost blind with the sudden headache and hunger, he staggered from his seat in the stands down towards the sands. If he could just find his way to the kitchen, maybe the headwoman could give him something for this headache.

_There you are!_ Staven stopped and found himself gazing into the whirling, jewel-like eyes of the little green dragon. _My name is Lyrith. I've been looking for you! Can we go eat now, Staven?_

"Of-of course." Staven didn't know what to think or do. "Ummm."

One of the candidates, a boy about his own age with a blue, looked at him and smiled. "Follow me. We'll go and stuff them until they can't move." The boy's smile turned a little shy. "I'm Dalor—D'lor, now."

_That's a good idea!_

Suddenly, Staven felt like he was finally where he belonged. "Th-thank you." With a smile that transformed his face, he touched the little green dragon on the shoulder. "Come along, Lyrith. We'll get you fed."

He turned to see J'rod, grinning at him. "Welcome to the family, St'ven."

Staven—St'ven, now—led Lyrith out for her first meal. He was a dragonrider, and would never be called 'greener' again.


End file.
